


Strawberry Cake

by rebeccastceir



Series: An End. A Beginning.  - MOOD BOARD [15]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Bakery and Coffee Shop, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Genji Shimada is a Little Shit, Hanzo gets all the cake, Hanzo gets the cake, Hanzo has Social Anxiety, Humor, M/M, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Shy!Hanzo Shimada, Social Anxiety, Sweet, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, mostly around cute cowboys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:54:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27764815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebeccastceir/pseuds/rebeccastceir
Summary: Every morning, like clockwork, Gorgeous walked into the Echo Cafe, closed his eyes, and inhaled deeply of the sugar-, spice-, and coffee-scented air.Every morning, like clockwork, Jesse stood behind the counter and waited, hoping this would be the day Gorgeous would step forward and say something.Every morning, like clockwork, Gorgeous opened his eyes, turned around, and walked outEvery morning, like clockwork, Jesse bit his lip with disappointment.
Relationships: Genji Shimada & Hanzo Shimada, Genji Shimada/Echo, Jesse McCree/Hanzo Shimada, McHanzo
Series: An End. A Beginning.  - MOOD BOARD [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2002075
Comments: 26
Kudos: 194





	1. Jesse

**Author's Note:**

> The coffee-shop/cafe/bakery au that demanded to be written
> 
> This is tooth-rotting fluff, y'all. But it's got some funny stuff in the middle.

Every morning, like clockwork, Gorgeous walked into the Echo Cafe, closed his eyes, and inhaled deeply of the sugar-, spice-, and coffee-scented air.

Every morning, like clockwork, Jesse stood behind the counter and waited, hoping _this_ would be the day Gorgeous would step forward and say something.

Every morning, like clockwork, Gorgeous opened his eyes, turned around, and walked out

Every morning, like clockwork, Jesse bit his lip with disappointment.

“I’m tellin’ ya, we have to _do_ somethin’!” Jesse whined.

“Do something about what?” Genji asked.

“I don’t think we should bother him,” Echo said softly, as Jesse and Genji slapped out their usual extensive handshake.

“Bother who?” Genji asked, as Jesse went to pull his usual order.

Jesse threw a pleading look at Echo.

She relented. “Every morning, there’s this guy -”

“This _gorgeous guy_ -” Jesse whined.

“- who Jesse thinks is goodloo-”

“- who’s so gorgeous it should be a _crime_ -” Jesse corrected, big eyes pleading at Genji to understand.

Genji grinned.

“- he comes into the cafe, takes a -”

“- _inhales,_ like it’s his last day _on earth_ -” Jesse sighs.

“- and then leaves.”

“- and then fucking _leaves_ ,” Jesse huffs, with a roll of his eyes, “without _buying_ anything.” He hands over Genji’s coffee and cupcake.

“Maybe he can’t afford anything,” Genji says. He hands over ten bucks for the coffee and cupcake, and stuffs a couple more bills in the tip cup.

Jesse and Echo traded looks.

“He dresses fairly well,” Echo shrugged.

Jesse nodded agreement, biting his lips. “Some days it’s a suit, some days it’s sweatpants. But like. They’re _nice_ sweatpants. Y’know?”

Genji nodded, steadily sucking the lime green frosting off the top of his cupcake like it was ice cream. He always timed his visit to the cafe during the midmorning lull, just so he could have his coffee and cupcake in peace. He and Jesse had become friends that way, and Jesse had dragged Echo into their conversations in spite of her natural reticence. Genji liked the quiet blonde - she always struck him as “elfin”, with her white-blonde hair and delicate features, despite the fact that she was very nearly as tall as Jesse, and a good hand taller than Genji himself. “Maybe he’s on a diet?”

Jesse sighed. Genji could tell his mind’s eye was absorbed with caressing Gorgeous’ form. “Can he at least spare a few calories so a guy can get his number?”

Genji glanced at Echo.

She was shaking her head at Jesse in fond exasperation, a tiny smile twitching her lips.

“Maybe you could offer him a free sample,” Genji teased.

Jesse’s entire face slid into shock. “Buddy, you’re a _genius_.”

Next morning, like clockwork, Gorgeous walked into the cafe, closed his eyes, and -

“Care for a free sample?” Jesse purred.

Gorgeous’ eyes snapped open.

Jesse was standing just inside the door on his right, where he’d been hidden from the window by a potted fern. In his hand was a tray covered with little cups, each cup holding a tiny version of one of the cafe’s popular treats. “Got a good variety here,” Jesse continued. He’d made them himself, trying to guess what Gorgeous liked. “D’you like -”

Gorgeous bolted.

Jesse watched slack-jawed - Echo _laughed_ \- as he headed back out the way he came, shoulders drawn up around his ears in embarrassment - stopped a few feet down the sidewalk when he realized he was going the wrong way - and turned around, steadfastly _not looking_ at the cafe as he passed.

They didn’t see him for two days.

The next day he came in, it was _solidly_ during the morning rush. Jesse got only a brief glance at him between customers. When he looked up again, Gorgeous was gone.

“You’re an _idiot!_ ” Jesse wailed, reaching across the counter to pound on Genji’s shoulder. “Why’d I listen to you?!”

“What happened?” Genji asked, ducking way, licking neon blue frosting off the corner of his mouth.

“He tried -”

“I _tried_ the free sample thing -”

“- but he -”

“- he looked like I’d offered him a tray full of snails and he _bolted_.” Jesse pouted. “I worked _really hard_ on those things, too.”

“Maybe he’s embarrassed that you spotted him?”

“I _told you_ ,” Echo said, pinching Jesse’s shoulder in turn. “Let the man live his life.”

“Let _this man_ live his life,” Jess whined at her.

“Well,” Genji took a sip of his coffee, just to clear his palate for the next bite of sugar. “What’s he look like? I’m good at reading people. Maybe I can help you figure something out.”

Jesse chewed on his lip for a minute, leg bouncing. “Yeah, okay.” He eyed Genji over. “He looks like you, a little bit. Asian, but maybe a bit taller. Gorgeous.”

“- of course,” Genji grinned.

“ _Built_ ,” Echo said.

It was the most interest she’d shown in the subject at hand, and Genji looked at her in surprise.

She shrugged. “Looks like he works out.”

“Dresses nice,” Jesse added. “Like he works at a tech start-up or something. Like maybe he’s a honcho.”

“And he’s got a tattoo,” Echo added. “I think it’s a full sleeve. I’ve seen a bit of it at both his collar _and_ his left wrist.”

They both looked at her.

“What?” she shrugged. “I like ink.”

Jesse shook his head and went to fuss with the display case.

“This inked-up start-up honcho,” Genji mused, toying with an idea that was tugging in his chest. “What time does he come in?”

“Usually about seven-thirty,” Echo said.

“If he comes back at all,” Jesse mourned.

Genji shoved the entire cupcake in his mouth to disguise his grin. “Go’’a go! ‘M ‘ate f’r ‘ork!” He grabbed his coffee and almost ran out of the cafe.

Jesse and Echo traded funny looks.

“Did you know he even _has_ a job?” Echo asked.

Jesse shook his head and shrugged.

Gorgeous missed his 7:30 sniff the next day, much to Jesse’s sinking disappointment.

“Maybe he’s just sick,” Echo sympathized.

“Naw,” Jesse sighed. “I ruined it.”

At 9:00 they heard squawking on the sidewalk, and looked up to see Gorgeous being pushed along under protest. Jesse couldn’t see what was going on over the ferns, but a few seconds later Gorgeous was at the door, his face flaming red, both of Genji’s hands planted firmly between his shoulder blades. Genji physically crowded him up against one door, foot behind him ready to trip him if he bolted, and only released one hand from his back long enough to open the other cafe door and shove him inside.

Both men were arguing loudly, but as they tumbled into the cafe Jesse could see that Genji was grinning from ear to ear. He continued pushing Gorgeous towards the counter, despite his loud protests, forcing the man to trip over his own sneakers, which he was trying to dig into the floor. When Gorgeous caught sight of Jesse and Echo staring at him wide-eyed, mouths hanging open, he blushed even deeper and turned his back to them, redoubling his efforts to push back against Genji. Genji just _laughed_ and kept herding him forward, both of them still babbling in what Jesse finally recognized was Genji’s native Japanese.

“Don’t embarrass me, _anija_!” Genji laughed, finally wrestling him up to the counter and dope-smacking the back of his head.

Gorgeous stood up straight, but his expression was writhing with embarrassment.

“Jesse, Echo,” Genji grinned, viciously elbowing Gorgeous in the ribs. “This is my older brother Hanzo.”

Gorgeous - Hanzo - nodded politely, but he looked like he’d rather crawl through the floor. He was carefully looking anywhere _but_ Jesse and the cake case. After a few seconds his eyes slid carefully to the side to see if Jesse was still watching him - he was - and Hanzo blushed even deeper and looked away again.

Genji elbowed him again.

“Hello,” Hanzo said politely, eyes somewhere on the wall over the janitor’s closet.

“Good mornin’,” Jesse grinned, giving him his best Southern drawl, the one that was all charm and sweet tea. “Welcome to the Echo Cafe. What can I getcha?”

When it seemed like Hanzo didn’t hear him, Genji dope-smacked the back of his head again and barked something at him, laughing.

Hanzo finally forced himself to look at the cake case.

Jesse saw the expression on his face, and finally understood what the trouble was:

Hanzo didn’t want _a_ treat.

Hanzo wanted _all of them_.

Jesse couldn’t help his grin - he’d seen that look on Hanzo’s face a hundred - no, a _thousand_ \- times before, and he knew what it meant. “A lot to choose from, ain’t it?” he murmured sympathetically.

Hanzo nodded.

Satisfied that he wasn’t immediately bolting again, Genji turned down the counter to talk to Echo.

Jesse crossed his arms on top of the case and rested his chin on them, rested all his weight on one foot and bent the other knee, idly tapping his toe into the floor. “You like chocolate or not chocolate?” Jesse asked quietly, as if he had all day. He’d _take_ all day, to talk Gorgeous into something.

Hanzo finally darted cautious, dark-chocolate eyes up to him, expression flickering. “Not,” he finally admitted.

Jesse smiled and nodded encouragingly. God almighty, another word! “Cake or creamy.”

The barest shrug of a shoulder. “Cake.”

“You like fruit in there, or no?”

“His favorite’s strawberries,” Genji spoke up, from the other end of the counter.

Hanzo shot him a sideways glare, blushing again.

Jesse grinned. “I got just the thing.”

He reached into the case and pulled out a cake he’d made the day before - three layers of white vanilla sponge, with strawberry jam and sliced strawberries between the layers, slathered with creamy whipped vanilla-bean buttercream and topped with more sliced strawberries. Jesse didn’t slice cake ahead of time if he could help it - he either made single-serving pies, tarts, and mini-cakes, or he cut as ordered. The strawberry marvel was missing only two pieces.

Hanzo’s eyes were so huge, he looked like he wanted the whole thing.

Jesse cut him a bigger-than-average piece and took his time plating it, drizzling strawberry coulis across the top before passing it over. “Lemme know if that meets with your approval,” he winked. “It’s a new recipe.”

Hanzo blushed again as he took the plate and carried it to a table, sitting down with his back to him. Genji grabbed two cups of tea from Echo and made to follow.

“Oh!” Jesse flagged him. “Forgot a napkin.”

Genji spotted Jesse’s number written on it, and winked at him. Then he joined Hanzo at the table and slid Hanzo’s tea across, sliding the napkin along with it.

Jesse watched for a few moments as Hanzo dug in. Saw the exact moment when Hanzo lifted the napkin and spotted Jesse’s number - he blushed to the ears. Genji grinned, murmuring fast and quiet. Jesse couldn’t tell what he was saying, but he figured it must’ve been effective, because the napkin went back on the table instead of into the trash can. Hanzo went on eating, blushing occasionally as Genji talked, sometimes plowing through the cake as if he were avoiding questions, at other times toying with his fork, dragging sponge through the coulis and dabbing up every little bit of buttercream.

Jesse missed it when they left. The place got busy again, and by the time he looked up, the plate and fork were neatly stacked on the dish tray at the end of the counter, and Genji and Hanzo were both gone.

Sometime in the middle of the afternoon Jesse felt his phone buzz with a text message, and when he got a spare moment, he checked it.

_~ Hi! This is Hanzo’s phone. Genji speaking. He’s shy as all hell, so you should definitely text him or something. ~_

Jesse wanted to remind Genji that giving someone else his brother’s number without his brother’s permission was slightly out of line, but since it would go to Hanzo’s phone instead of the offender’s, there was no point. And he didn’t _have_ Genji’s number to text him directly - the few times they’d hung out, they’d gone directly from the cafe after closing.

He thought all the way to his next break about what he wanted to say.

_~ Hey. It’s Jesse, from the cafe? Your brother texted me your number. I would’ve left it up to you, but you kinda forgot to tell me if you liked the cake ~_

He hated how hesitant that sounded, but he already knew from experience that Hanzo spooked easily.

_~You were so busy, and I didn’t want to interrupt_ ~ his phone _dinged_. _~ It was excellent ~_

Jesse grinned. _~ Should I change anything? ~_

_~ Please don’t! ~_

That sounded almost _desperate_. Jesse grinned, bopping his foot as he considered what to say next. _~ So there’s only two pieces left and I won’t get to make white cake again until Thursday. Should I save you a piece? ~_

Jesse didn’t know it was _possible_ for a text message to blush without an emoji, but it did.

_~ Yes, please ~_

_~ Well, you better come pick it up this evening, then. I can’t guarantee it’ll be here tomorrow. My boss is as big a strawberry fiend as you are ~_

He sent that one before he could reconsider the word ‘fiend’.

_~ What time do you close? ~_

Jesse bit his lip.

_~ Well, we CLOSE at 6. But I get off shift at 3 ~_

Best to leave it that way. Let Hanzo decide if he wanted only cake, or conversation.

_________

Jesse put Hanzo’s cake in a to-go pak with his name written across the top, and set it aside before heading into the back to clean up. He washed dishes for an hour, then dropped his apron in the laundry bin, dried his hands, and pushed out front to tell Pharah goodbye.

Hanzo was waiting for his cake at the end of the counter.

Jesse grinned. “Hello, Gorgeous.” He leaned over to give Hanzo a kiss on the cheek.

Hanzo blushed faintly as Jesse passed him his cake, and then Jesse grabbed his own piece of chocolate explosion and a couple of to-go forks. Hanzo tucked his cake pak under one hand and settled the other around Jesse’s waist, while Jesse draped his arm around Hanzo’s shoulders.

“So what’re ya thinkin’ tonight, Gorgeous?” Jesse asked, as they walked down the sidewalk to their apartment. “Are ya leanin’ toward movies, or tv?”

“Did you forget?” Hanzo smiled. “We’re going to Genji’s tonight.”

“That’s right!” Jesse smacked his own forehead. “Echo’s birthday.”

“How did you forget?” Hanzo laughed quietly. “You work with her!”

“Well, y’know,” Jesse drawled, blushing a little. “When a girl makes her own birthday cake…”

“You made her _make_ her own cake?!” Hanzo laughed, twisting reprimanding pinches into Jesse’s ribs. “You horrible, horrible -”

Jesse twisted away, laughing. “Had other things on my mind, Gorgeous,” he grinned, trying not to eyeball Hanzo’s cake. There was a surprise in it, but maybe not for tonight. “We’ll do cake and tv tomorrow then, a’ight?”

“Of course,” Hanzo chuckled, tucking his hand into Jesse’s.

Jesse squeezed. His surprise could wait one more night.

It lasted until about midnight, when Hanzo and Jesse stumbled home giddy and happy, and Hanzo went straight for his cake. He found his surprise two bites in, and stared at Jesse for a solid 20 seconds in absolute shock.

“Say somethin’, darlin’,” Jesse begged. “I’m gettin’ nervous.”

Hanzo washed it off in the sink, and then handed it back to Jesse, along with his own hand.

Jesse put it on his finger.

“Yes,” Hanzo said, grinning from ear to ear as he tugged Jesse down for a kiss. “I say yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> see? so sweet my teeth hurt.
> 
> “Go’’a go! ‘M ‘ate f’r ‘ork!” = "Gotta go! I'm late for work!"
> 
> don't ask me where the Echo/Genji thing came from. it was just THERE.


	2. Hanzo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every morning at 7:30 sharp, Hanzo walked into the Echo Cafe, fully intending to open his mouth and buy something.
> 
> Every morning, at 7:30:10, Hanzo closed his eyes, taking in the deep, heady scent of butter, sugar, coffee, and spices, trying to get his courage up.
> 
> Every morning, at 7:30:40, Hanzo opened his eyes, realized he would have to talk to the utterly-too-adorable cowboy-baker behind the counter.
> 
> Every morning, at 7:31, Hanzo chickened out.
> 
> __________  
> Small content warning: I have had social anxiety for most of my life, and I gave it to Hanzo. His anxiety spirals are very similar to the ones I've had myself, so if you are also prone to them, or have a high degree of empathy and/or are prone to secondhand embarrassment, be forewarned, this chapter might make you uncomfortable. BUT. If you've read the first chapter, you already know how this ends, and maybe knowing there's a happy ending ahead of time makes a difference?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The sequel chapter nobody knew we needed!

Every morning at 7:30 sharp, Hanzo walked into the Echo Cafe, _fully intending_ to open his mouth and buy something.

Every morning, at 7:30:10, Hanzo closed his eyes, taking in the deep, heady scent of butter, sugar, coffee, and spices, trying to get his courage up.

Every morning, at 7:30:40, Hanzo opened his eyes, realized he would have to talk to the utterly-too-adorable cowboy-baker behind the counter.

Every morning, at 7:31, Hanzo chickened out.

“Would you like to try a sample?”

Hanzo’s eyes snapped open, and his head jerked to the right.

Oh gods. Ohgods, ohgods, ohgods, the utterlytoocutecowboy was standing _right. there._ To his right.

Ohgodsohgodsohgods, he had a sample tray with every single thing on it Hanzo had ever wanted to try, including the cowboy himself.

It was too much. It was overwhelming.

He couldn’t choose.

Hanzo bolted.

He realized on the sidewalk he was going the wrong way, and _of course_ he could feel the cowboy’s eyes on him as he turned around to head to work.

It wouldn’t have been so bad if it was only the blonde woman. Hanzo could tell she was a kindred soul - she wouldn’t have pushed. But the cowboy had a disturbing habit of _seeing_ Hanzo. It would’ve been alright if he could have gotten in line, sidled up to the counter and placed his order, slid through it without really being noticed. But the first time he’d tried it it had spooked him for what felt like for life - because the cowboy had looked up, done a double take, slid those warm, almond-brown eyes all up and down Hanzo, smiled like the setting sun, and promptly given Hanzo his complete and undivided attention.

Hanzo’d already ordered and paid for his tea, or else he’d have been forced to bolt immediately.

As it was now, he beat himself up all the way down the sidewalk. This was entirely possibly the worst day of his life. It was worse than when he’d told his father he didn’t want to be in the family business. It was worse than when he’d pitched his and Genji’s start-up plan to investors. It was _absolutely_ worse than that time he’d puked in the third grade play.

He could never go back to the cafe again.

He held out for two days.

It was a weekend, he told himself. He was allowed to _not go_ during a weekend, right? Except he’d _always_ gone, even on the weekends, keeping to his schedule, even in sweatpants.

 _You_ _like_ _him_ , his brain whispered, as he stumbled down the sidewalk on Monday, his feet dragging him where they wanted to go, while he fought with everything inside him from the knees up.

Did he?

Oh gods, he did.

_You want the cowboy to notice you._

Oh gods, that was even worse.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. He was supposed to either pine for eternity until the universe somehow changed his entire personality, thus enabling him to talk to cute cowboys, or else they were supposed to have some kind of meet-cute, maybe where they ran into each other and Hanzo spilled his tea all over himself and the cowboy would apologize and Hanzo wouldn’t have time to be shy because they’d already be talking without him having to think about it. Or -

The cafe was busy.

 _Blissfully_ busy.

Hanzo closed his eyes and took his regular morning sniff.

Had his usual morning temptation.

Caught the cowboy looking at him during the midmorning rush.

Did his usual morning chickening out.

Called himself every kind of coward all the way down the block.

He didn’t even bother to go the next day.

“ _So_ ,” Genji smirked, sitting down across from Hanzo and leaning his folded arms on the desktop. “Rumor has it you visit a certain cafe every morning.”

“I beg your pardon?” Hanzo frowned. He forced himself to sound annoyed by his little brother. Couldn’t do anything about the blush that he was entirely certain was flaming up his cheeks.

“Echo Cafe? Cute cowboy? Rumor has it you go in every morning for a sniff and an ogle?”

Hanzo scowled. “I do not ogle.”

“Riiight.” But Genji hesitated.

Maybe Hanzo was doing a better job of being dismissive than he thought - Genji bit his lip - a gesture he only did when he was uncertain of himself - and frowned.

“But you - they -” he seemed to be talking to himself, so Hanzo let him continue. He’d learned a long time ago not to feed the fire of Genji’s suspicions.

Finally Genji grunted. “Alright. What’s on your schedule for the day?”

Hanzo had three meetings with suppliers and a couple of potential new clients, which he wanted Genji to sit in with him on.

“That’s code,” Genji laughed. “You want me to run them.”

Hanzo shrugged. “You’re better at talking to people than I am.”

“Fine,” Genji grinned, not bothering to deny it. He bit his lip again. “But I have a meeting at nine and I want you to sit in on it with _me_.”

Hanzo shot him a wary look. “Clients?”

“Potentially.”

Genji seldom went out of his way to fish for new clients, even though he was _excellent_ at schmoozing the ones Hanzo fished. But he had a nose for sniffing out unexpected opportunities. “Fine,” Hanzo agreed.

“We’ll leave here about eight-fifty? It’s a short walk.”

Hanzo nodded again. “Fine.”

Genji nodded and left.

At 8:45 on the dot, Genji wandered back in and knocked on Hanzo’s door to get his attention. “Ready?”

Hanzo saved his meeting notes for that afternoon and exited out of his computer. “Will I need a jacket?” It was code, for whether or not a meeting was formal or informal.

“No.” Genji shook his head. Then he laughed. “I think these guys would be happier if you showed up in sweatpants, to be honest.”

Hanzo raised an eyebrow - a few of their clients did prefer the laid-back, tech-is-no-effort-at-all approach. “Really?”

“Up to you,” Genji shrugged, “but a little more casual wouldn’t hurt.”

Hanzo sighed. “Wish you’d told me this sooner.” He ducked into his private washroom and changed into a pair of nice track pants and sneakers, secretly relieved. He didn’t _exactly_ like the formal look, although he knew he could make himself look regal when he wanted to. But honestly, half the reason he’d wanted to start his own business was so that he _could_ set his own dress code.

After a few seconds’ thought, he changed into a pristine white t-shirt and a thin sweater as well.

And pulled his hair back into a man-bun.

There. Now he looked vaguely bookish, casual but smart. And with the tatt peeking out at his neckline and his obvious workout build…Yeah. He could do this.

He walked back out to the office, caught Genji’s eye and approving smile, and off they went.

He realized precisely eight-and-a-half minutes later that his brother was a vicious traitor and the entire thing had been a set-up from the start.

“I’m not going!” he yelled, at the top of his lungs, slipping into Japanese without realizing.

“Oh yes you are!” Genji laughed, grabbing his arms and trying to twist one behind him.

But Hanzo knew all his tricks - hell, they’d gone to the same dojo since Genji was three, they’d long since learned each other’s moves - and evaded his grip. Genji latched onto his other arm, managing to pivot around behind him while simultaneously laughing over Hanzo’s increasingly embarrassed protests, and shoving him down the sidewalk.

“You _will_ go _in_ , anija!” Genji demanded, still viciously twisting his arm.

“I _won’t_! You can’t make me!”

“You want me to do those three meetings later today?”

“You wouldn’t _dare_!” Hanzo snapped, knowing Genji was perfectly capable of either ruining them, or not showing up at all.

“Wanna bet?” Genji laughed.

They were attracting so many stares. Hanzo wanted to step out into traffic, it was less daunting.

“At least let go of my arm?” he whined. “I can’t design new stuff if you break my arm!”

“Oh, you’re _such_ a _wuss_!” Genji laughed, releasing his wrist nevertheless, but keeping both hands between Hanzo’s shoulder blades. “Gods, you’d think I was feeding you to the sharks or something, instead of asking you to talk to the guy you have a crush on.”

“Who says I have a crush?” Hanzo grouched, as Genji pushed him face-first into the cafe door and stuck a foot between Hanzo’s, ready to trip him if he bolted.

“Says _you_ , brother mine,” Genji laughed, hauling the other door open and shoving Hanzo inside. “Ever since we were little, that’s your MO - you stalk, stare, ogle, and avoid. Well, _this_ time -” he braced himself as Hanzo turned his back to the wide-eyed cowboy and his coworker, both staring at them in shock - “you’re gonna talk to him. You’re gonna walk up to the counter -” Hanzo leaned against him, but Genji was just as strong as he was, even more determined to push him forward than Hanzo was to run away “- you’re gonna stand there, you’re gonna _order_ _something_ -”

“No I’m not, I’m - I’m on a diet -”

“You’re such a _liar_!” Genji laughed.

They were halfway across the cafe already. Hanzo couldn’t believe it. When had Genji gotten stronger than him? How was this happening? What had gone wrong in his world?

“- and you’re gonna act like a normal human being while _I_ talk to the _other_ cute baker, okay?” Genji wrestled him up to the counter and dope-smacked the back of his head, switching to English. “Don’t embarrass me, _anija_!”

Hanzo stood there, quietly seething. He wanted to writhe with embarrassment. He wanted to crawl through the floor. The cute cowboy baker was looking at him with those disturbingly observant brown eyes, and the blonde baker was looking at them both with her big blue ones, and -

\- And Genji had a crush on the blonde woman.

The knowledge was only mildly comforting - Genji got crushes every other week - but there was potential blackmail material in there…

Genji elbowed him viciously in the ribs. “This is my older brother Hanzo.”

Hanzo realized he would _actually_ be expected to follow through. He glanced at the cowboy out of the corner of his eye, realized, to his mortification, that the cowboy was still looking at him.

Another elbow to his ribs.

“Hello,” Hanzo said as politely as he could muster. He was wrong - _this was_ _so much worse_ than even being spotted the last time. Forget third grade. He wanted to crawl through the floor.

“Good mornin’,” the cowboy drawled.

And that was when Hanzo knew he was in trouble, because the cowboy _sounded_ like chocolate looked, and Hanzo wanted to _bathe_ in his voice.

“What can I getcha?”

 _Yourself?_ Hanzo thought. Could he date his baker, was that okay? Was that a thing? How did one ask out a baker? Was he expected to make puns? Oh gods, were there baking-related puns? Would he -

“Are you gonna order anything?” Genji laughed in Japanese, dope-smacking him again.

Hanzo shook himself free of his panicked mental Google search, and looked at the cake case.

And promptly had another anxiety attack.

Everything. Everything in there appealed to him. Cakes and puddings, pies and tarts, fruit, chocolate, creams, eclairs, good _gods_ , how did the cowboy manage to keep that figure, Hanzo’d turn into a walking balloon.

“A lot to choose from, ain’t it,” the cowboy said softly.

Hanzo nodded before he could help himself. He registered, faintly, that the cowboy was leaning on the counter like Hanzo was the only customer in the store, but maybe this was better than a meet-cute, cuz Hanzo could stare at the cakes instead of into a pair of warm brown -

“You like chocolate, or not chocolate?” the cowboy asked.

“Not,” Hanzo said quietly. Oh gods, if he had to eat chocolate after looking into those eyes or hearing that voice, he’d probably die of sensory overload.

“Cake or creamy?”

Hanzo’s gaze flicked to him, realized the cowboy was still watching him, but there was nothing pushy or demanding in his eyes. He looked… he looked _patient_ , in a way that Genji seldom was. As if he had all day, had only ever had one customer in his life, would take as long as it took to let him make a decision. It was very different to the way Hanzo approached business transactions. Genji knew how to close a deal quickly without making it seem like a formal thing, whereas Hanzo excelled at the fine print, but this cowboy - Hanzo could feel himself settling. The cowboy seemed to occupy some safe middle ground…

“Cake,” Hanzo admitted. He always found creamy, custardy things overwhelming.

The cowboy smiled encouragingly. “You like fruit in there, or no?”

“His favorite’s strawberries,” Genji spoke up.

Hanzo realized Genji’d already abandoned him for the other end of the counter, talking to the blond woman, and shot him a dirty look. He didn’t like the cowboy knowing strawberries were his _favorite_ , it felt too intimate -

“I got just the thing,” the cowboy was already saying, already turning away to pull something -

Hanzo’s heart nearly stopped.

It was a _beautiful_ cake, three layers of ghostly white sponge with stark streaks of red in between, equally white frosting speckled with teeny vanilla bean seeds spread into clouds, smaller frosting clouds topped with fanned sliced strawberries.

Hanzo knew he could easily polish off the whole entire cake, all by himself.

The cowboy turned his back to the counter, taking the cake with him, and Hanzo took the opportunity to pull himself together. His mouth was already watering - either for the cake, or the cowboy, or both, he wasn’t going to think about it. He heard Genji, down the line, order a couple of teas for them, and pass over some money to pay for the tea and cake - as well as a cupcake for himself. The cowboy seemed to be taking _forever_ with the cake, Hanzo was torn between wanting him to hurry up so he could _eat it already,_ and niggling curiosity, wondering what he was up to. But when he turned back around, Hanzo felt himself wanting to blush again -

It was an extra-large piece, drizzled with extra strawberry sauce, the bright red streaks already soaking into the cake, flavoring and coloring random bites in -

“It’s a new recipe,” the cowboy winked. “Tell me whatcha think.”

Hanzo _did_ blush as he took the plate, flattered and pleased that the cowboy wanted his opinion over something already so obviously beautiful, and turned away quickly, trying to hide. He grabbed the first chair he could find, sitting down quickly before he did something stupid like trip over his own shoes or a random piece of floor and _spill_ all that beautiful -

“Oh! Napkin!”

Hanzo dimly registered the cowboy speaking again, but sat down with his back to the counter, not trusting himself to even be able to _eat_ properly if he knew he were being watched, and not entirely sure he’d be able to _not_ stare at the cowboy rather than eat. Genji joined him a few seconds later and slid his tea across, along with the napkin.

The first bite was _heaven_.

The cool vanilla bean buttercream _perfectly_ balanced the texture of the cake, the warm jammy sweetness of the strawberries between the layers, like summer caught between snowflakes. Hanzo felt every single thing about his day, his worries, his annoyance at Genji, shut down, between one bite of heaven and the next.

“Good, right?” Genji grinned, with his own genuine enjoyment, as he peeled the wrapper off his cupcake and took a huge bite. He got frosting on his nose, and instead of wiping it off immediately he crossed his eyes and made a face at Hanzo.

Hanzo snorted cake before he could stop himself, laughing, and reached for the napkin -

\- and spotted the phone number.

“His name is Jesse,” Genji said low and fast, leaning forward and dipping into Japanese again as he made his sales pitch. “He’s the main baker here - Echo does the coffee stuff. They’re business partners. He’s single. We’ve hung out a few times. And yes, before you ask, he’s a good guy. Got his head on straight. And he’s called you ‘gorgeous’ more times than I can count.”

Hanzo felt himself turning as red as the strawberries, and slid the napkin back to the tabletop.

“Did I mention he’s a good guy?” Genji pressed.

Hanzo looked down at his plate and quickly shoved another bite in.

Genji took another bite of his own cupcake, but Hanzo could feel him changing tack. “He’s been dying for you to talk to him. Practically begged me for ideas how to lure you up to the counter. He made all those free samples for _you_ , y’know.”

Hanzo looked up quickly. Felt himself pale, and then turn flaming red again. “ _Why?_ ”

“I dunno,” Genji grinned. “Must think you’re pretty special.”

“ _He’s_ the one who’s -” Hanzo cut himself off quickly, and started shovelling cake in his face, wishing Genji wouldn’t -

“Well, I can verify for you, he _is_ ,” Genji grinned, leaning forward again, his cupcake - miraculously - forgotten. “We’ve hung out three times and I can assure you, anija, he’s perfect for you. He’s sweet, he’s funny - I swear to gods, he’s got the same weird sense of humor you do. He’s good with business. He’ll probably look hella good in a suit. Or, you know, _naked_.”

Hanzo started shoveling cake in so fast he couldn’t even taste it, which was an absolute _crime_ , the mottled strawberry coulis and vanilla bean sponge perfectly set each other off. He wished Genji would change the subject to _literally anything_ while he knew full well that his mind’s eye was going to be absorbed for the foreseeable future with all three delightful images of the cowboy that his brother had so thoughtfully provided.

Oh gods, the cowboy had a name now, his name was _Jesse_ , Hanzo _couldn’t_ go on being obsessed with him like he was, could he? He slowed down, realizing he’d missed half his cake, and dragged a forkful of sponge through a pillowy cloud of buttercream. Gods, it should be sinful to make cake this good. On the other hand, if Hanzo _married_ him -

Oh gods, he really _was_ in trouble, wasn’t he. He raked his fingers into his hair and rested his elbow on the table, trying to shield himself from both Genji and the cowboy behind the counter, as he went on eating. He didn’t know which was worse - the fact that he was already half in love with a stranger because of six sentences and a slice of cake, or that he was _definitely_ going to be seeing Jesse in his dreams tonight, or the fact that he was going to have to sit through three meetings today with -

“Meetings!” Hanzo looked up quickly, panicking again. Or was it part of the ongoing panic his life had become today? “We have a meeting in twenty minutes!”

“Relax,” Genji shrugged. “It’s in twenty minutes.”

“But it’s on the other side of town!”

Genji’s jaw dropped. “And you’re _just now_ telling me this?!”

Hanzo shoveled forkfuls of cake in his mouth, doing his best not to lose a crumb - hell he was tempted to lick the plate, maybe he could lick Je-

“Come _on_ , anija!” Genji said, already shoving the last of his cupcake in his mouth and getting lids for their tea.

Hanzo finished off the cake _while_ he walked to the counter to set his plate and fork in the dish tray - thank the gods, there was a line, the cowboy’s back was turned, he never even noticed him - and then he followed Genji out the door.

He and Genji had identical phones, he remembered later. And Genji’d always been the better pickpocket.

~ _Hey. It’s Jesse, from the cafe? Your brother texted me your number. ~_

Hanzo stared at his phone in disbelief. Here he was, between meetings, gathering his thoughts, trying to switch from sales mode into buying mode, and here - here -

_~ I would’ve left it up to you, but you kinda forgot to tell me if you liked the cake. ~_

Hanzo bit his lip and sucked on it nervously. How to talk? How to type? What to say? How to flirt? He didn’t flirt! He _never_ flirt-

_~You were so busy, and I didn’t want to interrupt_ ~ he answered, with absolute truthfulness, and very little of honesty. _~ It was excellent ~_

A few seconds of silence, during which Hanzo was sure that was not enough praise. In fact, his thumbs were poised to -

_~ Should I change anything? ~_

_~ Please don’t! ~_

He typed that before he could even think, found himself looking at a “time sent” stamp before he’d even realized he’d pushed the button. But gods, the idea of having something about that cake changed - it made him feel _sick_. It’d be like destroying _art_.

There was a slightly longer pause. _~ So there’s only two pieces left and I won’t get to make white cake again until Thursday. Should I save you a piece? ~_

_~ Yes, please. ~_ Hanzo was blushing. He was entirely certain it bled through the phone, through the air, through the other phone, into the cowboy’s hands and up his arms and -

_~ You better come pick it up this evening, then. I can’t guarantee it’ll be here tomorrow. My boss is as big a strawberry fiend as you are. ~_

Who had told him Hanzo was - Had _Genji_ \- ? It was entirely possible Genji - Oh gods, Hanzo needed to crawl into a hole and _die_.

But the thought of getting another piece of _that cake_ …

He nearly chewed his lip off trying to decide.

_~ What time do you close? ~_

_~ Well, we CLOSE at 6. But I get off shift at 3. ~_

There was a meeting at 2, and another at 4, and that one was expected to run ‘til 5:30. Now all Hanzo had to do was decide if he wanted only cake, or if he was brave enough to have a conversation with it…

He left his office in time to account for the rush hour, navigating the busy sidewalks like the native city boy he was. One minute to spare, and he got in line, and waited, on pins and needles, bouncing anxiously on the balls of his feet, chewing through his lip again, until it was his turn at the counter, and -

He didn’t recognize the brown-skinned girl waiting there. His stomach sank. His heart sank. His brain sank into a panicky spiral - Had Jesse -? - had his cake -?

“C’n I help you?” she prodded, frowning.

A head popped up behind the cake case, and a familiar pair of brown eyes met Hanzo’s through the glass. “I got this one, Fareeha,” he grinned, his whole face lighting up as he straightened. She shrugged and moved away, motioning the next customer down the line. The cowboy, Jesse, leaned his elbow on the case and his chin in his hand and grinned at Hanzo like his own personal sun’d just come up. “Can I help you, gorgeous?”

Hanzo felt himself blushing again, but he didn’t look away.

Maybe they’d had a meet-cute after all.

He smiled, and felt something in his stomach settle. “I’m here for my cake?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's not enough "Hanzo gets all the cake" stories, tbh


End file.
